Recovering The Forgotten River

How can we change the current situation?

For us to change the future of the Upper Murrumbidgee, it’s critical that we bring the management of the headwaters of one of our largest and most significant rivers into line with contemporary best practice management and governance.

Only then can we ensure the key organisation responsible for the river’s management, Snowy Hydro, will have legal obligations to care for the people, communities and ecosystems downstream of its operations that depend on a healthy and flowing river.

Now, with a new Federal Government, and recognition by Australians that climate change must be addressed, it's time for our leaders to step up so that three critical areas negatively impacting on the Upper Murrumbidgee are addressed:

  • Water quality and security: we need to advocate for a healthier Upper Murrumbidgee River, and ensure it receives adequate flows for the people and ecological communities that depend on it.

  • Transparency and accountability: we need to commit to an open and transparent enquiry into the application of the Snowy Water Inquiry Outcomes Implementation Deed (SWIOID) and the impacts of this on environmental, social and Cultural values of the waterways it impacts. Additionally, we want to work with Snowy Hydro Shareholders to ensure the updated statement of expectations reflects community expectations around river management.

  • Robust governance: we need to contemporise the SWIOID and bring the Snowy Hydro scheme into the Water Act 2007. This can occur as part of the review scheduled for 2024, so that all operations affecting the Murray, Snowy and Murrumbidgee are included in the Commonwealth’s water management framework for the Murray Darling Basin.

In the lead up to the Federal Election 2022, the Australian River Restoration Centre sent a letter on behalf of a consortium of partners to local political candidates, asking them to call for actions that deliver a healthier Upper Murrumbidgee river should they be elected.

You can read this letter here.

Steps we must take going forward

 

  • We need politicians and community champions to demand better quality and quantity of flows in the river for environmental, social and cultural outcomes. As a source of drinking water for our region, a healthy and reliable river is critical to our communities.

    We don’t want the Upper Murrumbidgee River to die, so we must act now so that we can protect and restore this Forgotten River for now and for generations to come.

  • We need the existing environmental water allocated for the Upper Murrumbidgee to be legally protected in the system. This includes changes to rules in the Murrumbidgee Unregulated Water Sharing Plan, so that measuring, metering, and compliance is used to ensure there is no unlawful take of water.

    We need the volume of water available for the environment to be increased, based on the best available science, to determine what the river needs for ecological health. This should start with an open and transparent review of the Snowy Water Inquiry Outcomes Implementation Deed.

  • We need the existing environmental water to be managed in-line with best practice, based on best available information, and applying the principles for environmental water management under the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

    We need regional water agencies and utilities to understand and advocate for ongoing water quality and security for the region, especially under a changing climate. This includes Icon Water, which relies on the Murrumbidgee as a third source of water for the Australian Capital Territory.

  • The community needs Snowy Hydro to demonstrate their commitment to environmental, social and Cultural outcomes for the river as part of their current operations, and into the future as part of Snowy 2.0. This nation-leading project should also be a world-leader on achieving environmental, Cultural and social outcomes.

    We need a process which opens up SnowyHydro’s license and water management framework to public scrutiny, allowing examination of whether the current licence conditions are adequate for the river and for regional water security. This should start with an agreement by NSW, Victorian and Commonwealth governments to an open and transparent review of the Snowy Water Inquiry Outcomes Implementation Deed, before the review of the Water Act 2007 (Cth) occurs in 2024.

  • We need broader community education about the importance of the river to our region and the complex management arrangements involved.

    We need a Regional Community Advisory Forum to be established which brings State, Territory and Federal government agencies, and Snowy Hydro, together with scientists, First Nations and community members to ensure regional water management is transparent and based on the best available information.

  • For the review of the Murray Darling Basin Plan in 2026, our region must seek the inclusion of the Upper Murrumbidgee River as a hydrological indicator site to measure basin flows and health.

    Given the state of the Upper Murrumbidgee River, more investment is required to protect threatened species such as the Macquarie Perch.

  • The Upper Murrumbidgee River needs to have a long-term, coordinated, interdisciplinary monitoring program to understand the water quality and ecological condition and changes over time. This should look to coordinate existing programs and bolster ecological monitoring across NSW and ACT reaches of the river.

 

“The Upper Murrumbidgee is a very special place containing the best Macquarie perch population in Australia. I want my grandkids to be able to explore and enjoy it, just as I have for the past 40 years. If we don’t act now to protect its unique aquatic resources and values, we condemn it to a slow but inevitable decline.”

Assoc. Prof Mark Lintermans
Centre for Applied Water Science,
University of Canberra

What practical steps can I take today?

  • Learn more about the issue

    Thank you for taking the time to look at this website. To help you learn more about the issues, we have curated a list of reports, articles and media.

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  • Start the conversation among your networks

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  • Voice your concerns with local politicians

    We can help local representatives set a pathway to where we want to go, but we can't do that if we’re not engaging. Here are some tips on how to reach local politicians as well as their contact details.

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